Wire twisting apparatus



Sept 1 v R.,O. ROWLANDS 3,527,042

'WIRE TWISTING APPARATUS Filed March 6, 1969 i I I SUPPLY INVENTOR. men/mo o. ROWLANDS United States Patent 3,527,042 WIRE TWISTING APPARATUS Richard O. Rowlands, State College, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Mar. 6, 1969, Ser. No. 804,893 Int. Cl. D07b 7/10; D01h 7/00 US. Cl. 57-62 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for introducing twists into flat, plural conductor cable including a motor-driven spool and a circular disc having an elongated aperture or slot through which the cable is fed to the spool. The disc is encircled by a flexible, tensioned belt whose ends are attached by springs to support means. As successive turns of the cable in a layer are applied to the spool, the disc tends to be rolled along the belt and twists the cable.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention generally relates to winding and reeling and, more particularly, to apparatus for twisting cables or wires.

The use of cables or wire having plural parallel electrical conductors can be adversely affected by cross talk between the various conductors of the cable. The problem of cross talk is magnified when part or all of the cable is coiled. Cross talk can be avoided by periodically transposing or twisting pairs of the conductors so that the voltage induced in one conductor by the other over a given length is negated by the opposite voltage induced in the succeeding portion of the conductor. Heretofore, no simple apparatus has been available for periodically transposing the conductors in the pair or for introducing periodic twists into the cable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly it is the general purpose of this invention to provide means for periodically transposing the cable conductors or for introducing twists into wire or cable. Briefly, this may be accomplished by providing a disc having a cable-conforming aperture through which the cable is drawn by a spool and by providing a flexible belt which encircles the disc and has its ends connected in spaced relation to enable rolling of the disc during transverse movement of the cable as successive turns of the cable are added to form a layer on the spool. More particularly, it is contemplated that the ends of the belt be coupled by springs to respective support members thereby providing for more uniform distribution of the cable about the spool. Additionally, it is contemplated that the disc be positioned on the sides of the belt which enables the cable to be twisted in a direction corresponding to the direction of fill along a layer of turns to facilitate filling the spool. Still further, it is contemplated that the disc diameter be such that at least one or two twists per spool layer is introduced into the cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 represents an isometric view of apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 represents an enlarged view of a portion of the disc of the apparatus of FIG. 1, the cable being shown in cross section; and

3,527,042 Patented Sept. 8, 1970 ice FIG. 3 represents a diagram illustrating successive relative positions of the disc of FIG. 1 while winding two successive layers of the cable upon the spool.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, the apparatus 20 generally includes a pair of spaced apart support members 21 and 22 arranged to support a motor 23 and a removable shaft 24 which is drivingly connected to the motor 24 and is journaled for rotation in a bearing 25 carried by the support 22. A spool 26 is keyed to the shaft 24 for rotation therewith. A flat cable 30 to be periodically twisted extends from a wire supply (not shown) through an apertured disc 40. More particularly, the disc 40, as shown in FIG. 2, has an elongated aperture 41 extending therethrough having a configuration conforming to but larger than the elongated cross-sectional configuration of the cable 30 which is shown as having a parallel pair of insulated conductors 51 bonded together by and extending through a flat ribbon of insulation 52. More particularly, the disc 40 also includes an annular groove 60 extending about its circular periphery and formed for receiving a turn of a flexible belt 70 which is connected under tension at its ends by springs 71 and 72 to the support members 21 and 22.

As the spool 26 is driven in a direction to take up the cable 30, the portion of the cable 30 extending from the supply through the disc 40 is caused to laterally move generally in the direction extending transversely of the cable 30 and also parallel to the axis of the spool 26 because successive turns in a layer force transverse cable movement or because of the operation of a conventional level wind mechanism, not shown. Referring to FIG. 3, as the disc 40 is positioned in position 1, the cable 30 generally lies flat relative to the cable-receiving surface 82 of the spool 26. As the disc 40 is rolled toward position 2 undergoing a rotation less than degrees, the cable 30 being received by the spool 26 retains the generally flat orientation relative to the cable receiving-surface 82. As the disc 40 is rolled through position 3 toward position 4, the cable 30 is transposed or flipped over on its opposite side introducing a twist occupying a short region extending about a small segment of the cylindrical surface 82 wherein the cable 30 at one point has an edgewise orientation relative to the spool 26 as shown at position 3 in the first layer of FIG. 3, all intervening turns of the cable 30 being omitted. Further transverse movement carries cable 30 through positions 4 and 5 to the other end 83 of the spool 26, and the first layer is completed. The direction of transverse cable movement reverses, and the disc 40 is rolled through positions 6 to 10 introducing an additional -degree twist in the cabl 30 in the succeeding layer.

Of course, while an elongated aperture or slot configuration is specifically shown, it is to be understood that other disc aperture configurations are to be used where the cable to be twisted has a different cross-sectional configuration. The aperture should be sufliciently oversized to permit free longitudinal movement of the cable 30 through the disc 40 and yet should be shaped to prevent rotation of the cable 30 relative to the disc 40. Thereby, the disc 40 is able to apply a twisting movement to the cable 30 as the disc 40 is rolled along the belt 70 by reason of forced lateral movement of the cable 30 to fill in adjacent turns in a layer.

Further, the number or conductor transpositions or twists introduced per layer is a function of the diameter D of the disc 40 and the length of the path of reciprocating rolling movement of the disc 40 while applying cable to the spool 26, which path length is substantially equal to the width W of the spool measured along the spool axis between the ends 81 and 83. Since a transposition of the conductors 51 occurs each time the disc 40 undergoes a rotation of 180 degrees, if it be desired that at least one twist be introduced per layer, the disc 40 should have an interior diameter which is not greater than the ratio of the width W to 1r/ 2 since half of the length of the belt-engaged periphery of the disc 40 is 1rD/2. Similarly where it is desired that at least two twists be introduced per layer, the disc 40 should have an interior diameter which is not greater than the radio of the width W to 11' since a rotation of 360 degrees by the disc 40 is required to introduce two 180-degree twists into the cable 30. The disc 40, of course, will have smaller relative diameters for introducing more twists per layer.

The springs 71 and 72 apply tension to the belt 70 to cause frictional engagement of the disc 40 by the belt 70 and to prevent slippage of the disc 40 during transverse cable movement thereby enabling the disc 40 to be rolled from one end of the belt 70 to the other. As the cable 30 undergoes its forced transverse movement from right to left, the cable 30 bears against the disc 40 and tends to stretch the spring 71 and relax the spring 72. Similarly, when the turns are being added from left to right, the spring 72 will be elongated and the spring 71 relaxed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the springs permit a shifting between the thickest part of the layer at positions 3 and 8 where the cable 30 has an edgewise orientation relative to the spool 26. Thereby is permitted a more uniform distribution of turns in a layer having a more nearly linear alignment of cross sections.

It should be additionally noted that the disc 40 and spool 26 are generally oriented on opposite sides of a plane including the line defined by the ends of the belt 70. Therefore, as shown in FIG. I, forced movement of the cable 30 from right to left causes a counterclockwise rotation of the disc 40 as viewed from the wire supply adjacent side, in turn, causing the right or trailing edge of the cable 30 generally to be rotated away from the spool 26 and in the direction of disc movement. Therefore, like ocean waves, the cable tends to be twisted in the direction of the fill of successive turns in a layer. Similarly, as shown by the dotted arrows in FIG. I, forced cable movement from left to right causes a clockwise rotation of the disc 40. The disclosed arrangement permits a smoother fill and enhances the introduction of twists. If the disc 40 were positioned generally on the same side of the belt 70 as is the spool, forced disc rotations of opposite directions would occur causing the forward edge of the cable generally to be rotated away from the spool and oppositely of the direction of the fill of turns in the layer.

The invention therefore provides a very simple, inexpensive device for introducing twists into cable and, thereby, for transposing plural conductors to avoid cross talk. The apertured disc and encircling belt may be easily connected to and used with conventional cable-winding apparatus for introducing twists as disclosed.

Obviously many modifications and' variations of the present invention are possible in view of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for introducing twists into wire comprising:

a disc of circular configuration having an aperture configured for slidingly receiving and applying a moment to the wire; and

a flexible belt encircling said disc and having its ends connected in spaced relation to enable rolling movement of said disc along said belt.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

said disc having formed about its periphery an annular groove configured for receiving the encircling portion of said belt.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

said disc aperture having a configuration like the crosssectional configuration of the wire.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a pair of spaced apart support means; and

spring means for interconnecting said ends of said flexible belt to said support means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a pair of spaced apart support means; and

a spool mounted rotatably between said support means and arranged to take up the wire extending through said aperture of said disc.

6. Apparatus according claim 5 further comprising:

spring means for interconnecting said ends of said flexible belt to said support means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising:

motor means connected for driving said spool.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:

said disc being positioned on a side of said flexible belt enabling said disc to rotate the edge of the wire lying adjacent the next previous turn of the strand in the same layer of turns on said spool in a direction away from said spool.

9. Apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:

said disc and the axis of said spool being positioned on opposite sides of a plane defined by the longitudinal extent of said ends of said belt and said spool.

10. Apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:

said disc having a diameter not greater than the ratio of the width of the spool to 1r/2.

11. Apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:

said disc having a diameter not greater than the ratio of the width of the spool to 1r.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,882,674 4/1959 Lenk 57--66 2,908,132 10/1959 Klemm.

3,144,998 8/1964 Back 242157.1 3,152,773 10/1964 Brown 242157.1 3,292,356 12/1966 Hinds 5759 3,369,355 2/1968 Burr 57-59 3,437,278 4/ 1969 Janning 242-54.4

DONALD E. WATKINS, Primary Examiner 

